


I taste the summer on your lips

by emilia_kaisa



Series: August Break 2020 [4]
Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, Fluff, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M, Not Beta Read, Pre-Relationship, augustbreak2020, author chanelling summer memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:08:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25827955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilia_kaisa/pseuds/emilia_kaisa
Summary: Conrad's career in modeling started just like almost everyone else's in the industry- he got picked up by an agent while he was shopping with his parents and Amelia, and he didn't even need to activate his pleading eyes. His parents were firm believers to let the kids try everything they want- with some common sense, of course- and gain new experiences, so he got approval to go for the first casting without any hassle.
Relationships: Andrei Lazukin/Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Jun Hwan Cha/Conrad Orzel
Series: August Break 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859830
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13





	I taste the summer on your lips

**Author's Note:**

> This one took me ages and I'm not even sure why, but I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out, even though the word count went kinda wild? The prompt was 'in my bag' and I kindaaaa took some liberties, but I hope you'll enjoy!

Conrad's career in modeling started just like almost everyone else's in the industry- he got picked up by an agent while he was shopping with his parents and Amelia, and he didn't even need to activate his pleading eyes. His parents were firm believers to let the kids try everything they want- with some common sense, of course- and gain new experiences, so he got approval to go for the first casting without any hassle.

He went there mostly for fun, tempted with a prospect of maybe getting some money out of it, but then he got booked for the first job and before he knew it he had a job that he truly enjoyed, even though it was sometimes a struggle to keep up with that and with school, but Conrad wasn't complaining. His parents were supporting him, saying that as long as he was healthy and was keeping solid grades, they wouldn't object against his job. The only line they drew was that if he wanted to go for some contract abroad, they would let him do that after graduating and turning eighteen. That was pretty fair and reasonable, so even though he got some prominent propositions from foreign countries, he wasn’t upset about not being able to go, even though some of his friends were flying for contracts right after turning sixteen.

And to be honest, by the time he graduated highschool he was thinking about dropping modeling, not seeing it as something he would like to pursue a serious career at and rather focus on choosing his career path between law and biotechnology. But when the offer of the three month contract in Asia came, Conrad didn't hesitate a second. The money was good and it would truly help him with university fees, and well, who wouldn't like to spend some time in Malaysia?

"Okay, I stopped by the bookstore and bought you something!" his mom said brightly, handing him a thick book that turned out to be guide around South Asia. Conrad smiled and took it, swallowing a remark that he could find everything online, and well, he was touched by the gesture. He was excited to go but he also knew he would grow homesick for sure.

The closer the day of leaving was, Conrad's bag was filled with more and more things from his family and friends, little and mostly useful gifts to make his adventure easier. An extra memory card for his camera from dad, an extra soft t-shirt from Amelia, a bookmarker with st. Christopher from grandma and a handkerchief from grandpa. Even Joseph gave him something, a purple box filled with silver packet that made Conrad roll his eyes, but he threw it into his bag anyway.

And then, the adventure started.

* * *

When he arrived in Kuala Lumpur it was early afternoon and when he stepped from the plane he had to stop and inhale deeply, because he felt as if someone smacked him in the face with a wet towel. He was really tired, but also excited and eager to be in a new place and h e was picked up by a smiley young woman with whom he had a nice conversation as she drove him to a flat he was going to share with some other models.

"You'll have two days to regenerate and then we get to work! If you have any questions or need anything, give me a call!" the girl- Nur was her name- said before knocking to the door shortly and then entered, exclaiming her greetings to the residents "Hey guys, I'm here with a special guest!"

"Finally!" came an enthusiastic response and the door at the end of a corridor opened with force and Conrad saw a tall guy with impressive abs and only a towel, wrapped around his waist "Hey dude, Conrad, right? Awesome to meet you!" he exclaimed, coming closer quickly and shaking Conrad's hand "I'm Jiří, I can already tell we'll get along. And hello Nur, stunning as always-"

"Half naked as usual." Nur snorted, an amused grin on her face as he turned to Conrad "I'm leaving you in good hands, get some rest!"

Conrad was a little overwhelmed at first, but quickly relaxed, Jiří's lively personality making him feel extra welcomed.

"Okay, we have two rooms free, there's some other dude coming Thurday, so choose which you look better. And now let's go meet Andrei, he's brooding in his room, missing his girl-"

Andrei turned out to be a pale Russian with a melancholic gaze, who greeted Conrad with a warm smile and offered to have some tea.

"Who wants tea in this temperature."Jiří sighed dramatically, but his smile was fond "Russians." Andrei deadpanned, but a twitch of his mouth told Conrad that it was some ritual bickering.

"Well I'm Czech and hereby I can offer you some cold beer. You fancy?"

"Well, I'm Polish." Conrad grinned and Jiří grinned with delight, clasping Conrad's shoulder.

"We're going to have the time of our life here, dude, I feel it!"

* * *

After three weeks Conrad knew that accepting that contract was the best decision. Sure, it wasn't vacation, it was a lot of hard work, long hours interrupted only by short naps in some corner, but in general, he loved it. Work was satisfying, the city mesmerizing and his new friends absolutely great. Three days after his arrival they had been joined by the fourth flatmate, a smiley Norwegian named Sondre, whose abs were as impressive as Jiří's and by now he could speak a weird slang made from three different Slavic languages. In the free time they would go out sightseeing, grab a beer and taste local food, and honestly, Conrad was having the time of his life.

It all turned even better when one day Nur appeared, alongside one of the managers names Scott, and announced that they would like to send them for some short jobs somewhere else. And that was how soon Conrad ended up in a plane to Singapore with Andrei by his side, as well as Scott and some other models. It was just perfectly convenient, since he had been hoping to make a trip to Singapore anyway, so he was basically bouncing with excitement. Andrei was in exceptionally good mood too, because apparently his long-time girlfriend and also a model, was on a contract in Singapore and apparently she was going to be a part of the same project.

The project was a a shoot for a very popular quarterly magazine about wedding fashion. Conrad would think that they were maybe a bit too young for that kind of theme, but Scott was insisting that they were perfect. And well, Conrad wasn't going to complain, because Singapore was jaw-dropping, even though so far Conrad saw it mostly through the car windows.They were going to stay there for a week and the agency decided to put them in a really nice hotel, close to the place they had to show up for the first day of shooting.

The building was full of people, models and staff, and Scott guided them through the crowd to introduce them to the photographer in charge of the session, who turned out to be a middle-aged man wearing sunglasses, shorts and an extravagant blazer with floral patterns.

"Please, call me Sunny." he said, raising his hand dramatically "It's terrific, that you're here, yes-"

"Sunny, meet Conrad and Andrei." Scott said, failing to bite back a grin, and Sunny gasped, eyes focusing on Andrei.

"Oh, I've heard about you! So you're the one making my muse so happy, glowing!"

Andrei's ears turned pink and Conrad was just confused, but then someone exclaimed Andrei's name loudly, and a moment later he was embracing a beautiful girl, spinning her around and making her squeal. She seemed short for a model, but that didn't seem to matter the moment she smiled, and Conrad could totally see how Andrei had lost his head for her and why Sunny claimed her to be his inspiration.

"Beautiful." Sunny sighed dreamily, gesticulating wildly "We'll repeat it, but in clothes, yes, I need a rain of feathers, Lilian, where the hell are you-"

"Okay guys, go get ready." Scott chuckled with amusement "Look for Paddy, he will help you with everything."

The plan for the first day was apparently individual shots, and then on the following days they would be shooting in pairs, in groups and also in the open air, which sounded extra exciting.

His first set of clothes was pretty extravagant for a wedding proposition, his pants adorned with yellow stripes, shoes and an oddly thin tie. It wasn't the weirdest outfit he had ever worn, and when his turn came, he was feeling pretty confident.

"Gorgeous!" Sunny clapped enthusiastically when he saw Conrad "Perfection, let's get started! Jun, give me that, the thing, you know what I mean-"

Conrad hadn't noticed him before, but there was a young guy about Conrad's age, probably Sunny's assistant, handing him a new lense. To be honest, he would be easy to mistake for a model, with his pretty features and silky dark hair, but apparently he was an aspiring photographer.

"Alright!" Sunny exclaimed, breaking Conrad's train of thought "Now, I need you to be romantic, but also sexy. Romantically seductive, yes?"

"Yes." Conrad nodded, noticing that the Jun guy bit his lips, suppressing a smile, and Conrad had to do the same "Totally understand."

* * *

On day third Conrad knew a few more things than before, like for example the fact that Sunny had a brilliant idea of them posing in the fountain. Which was pretty fun, since Conrad's partner- a lovely Australian named Kailani- was great, but after the job was done he discovered that damp clothes and puddles in his shoes in that temperature and humidity wasn't the greatest feeling. Grumbling under his nose, he sat aside on one of touristic chairs, trying to get rid of his shoes and socks, wishing to have his handkerchief to wipe his face, when someone spoke next to him softly.

"Here."

He raised his head and saw Jun, standing right in front him, hands extended, one holding a towel and another one a plastic cup filled with some drink and a lot of ice cubes.

"Thank you." Conrad smiled gratefully, taking the towel, and Jun smiled at him expectantly "Oh, this is for me too? Thank you." Conrad grinned even wider, taking the drink as well and letting out a sigh of relief.

They hadn't really talked much before, but they exchanged a few words and jokes, and that was it. So it was really extremely nice of him to make that kind gesture, and Conrad felt obliged to initiate a conversation, but then he heard a dramatic whine right next to him as Liza flopped on one of the chairs, tugging at her shoes.

"Tomorrow I'm suggesting they let me wear sneakers to that, it would be a revolutionary wedding fashion choice." she mumbled, looking stunning even when clearly tired and with damp hair sticking to her forehead "Anyway, me and Andrei are heading to eat in a second, you join?"

"Thanks, I have plans. Maybe tomorrow?"

Well, the truth was that he didn't really have plans, but he wasn't in a mood for third wheeling today. He liked Liza and Andrei a lot, but he thought they would also appreciate being by themselves.

Liza gave him an acknowledging smile before getting up and running barefoot towards her boyfriend, and Conrad caught Jun's gaze, the boy still standing in the same place, expression honest but a little bit shy, and Conrad felt a sudden urge to explain.

"I don't really have plans, but, you know how couples can get."

"Yeah." Jun chuckled, relaxing a little, and suddenly Conrad got the best idea.

"Hey, maybe you'd like to go somewhere, if you have time? It's still early so I'd like to sightsee a little, and eat something! I owe you." he smiled broadly and Jun responded in kind, brightening up like a star.

"Sounds great!"

"Cool, just let me change!"

Two hours later Conrad knew a whole lot of things about Jun, and to be honest, it only was making him curious and wanting to know more and more. Jun was his age, from Seoul, and he was very into photography, although not exactly into what he was doing now.

"My dad and Sunny were going to school together." he explained, taking a bite of his chilli crab "I'm more interested in landscapes, but when Sunny offered, I agreed. I learn so much, and Singapore is so fascinating!"

"Yeah, it's awesome!"

They were sitting in one of countless street restaurants, busy and full of people and scents and lights. He could really fell it, the atmosphere of adventure, of vacation, a need to learn and just get out of life us much as possible.

"So you've graduated high school? What are the plans now?" Conrad asked, stirring his laksa and wondering if his stomach would be able to fit what was remaining in the ball.

"I would like to go abroad. See something new." Jun admitted, although his face covered with a flustered blush, and Conrad tilted his head with interest.

"But?" he prompted, but Jun shook his head, and Conrad didn't press. They had a nice time so far, but they definitely didn't have to talk about everything.

"I love it here, I'm kinda sad I gotta head back to Malaysia soon." Conrad said lightly "I mean, Kuala Lumpur is awesome, but here, it's-" he made a wide gesture with his hand and Jun smiled at him.

"You're leaving when the shooting ends?"

"Yeah."

Jun nodded, glancing down before looking back at Conrad, smile a bit cheeky.

"Shame. You're my favorite model."

"Oh." Conrad gaped, a little surprised by that blunt sentence, and then he grinned slyly "Jun, are you flirting with me?"

"Am I?" Jun asked boldly, although Conrad could clearly see a blush creeping on his cheeks, which Conrad found pretty adorable, even if a little awkward.

"What do you have in here?" he asked, deciding to change the topic just in case Jun didn't know what to do. "Your camera?" he pointed at Jun's big bag, the one he was carrying with himself all the time.

"Yes. And lenses, filters, other stuff-"

"Other stuff?"

"I'll show you one day." Jun said with a teasing grin and Conrad grinned back.

"I'll hold you to that."

Since that moment Conrad and Jun were hanging around basically everyday. They didn't have much time during working hours, but after they would go for food and walks on which Jun would take pictures of streetlife and flowers, and they talked. They talked a lot about everything, about movies and music, shared funny stories from the past. It was easy and fun, and reminded Conrad of how holidays had used to be ages ago, when he was a kid and forming connections with other children so easily, days spent together as if they knew each other forever. And it felt the same way now, with Jun, who smiled so brightly and laughed so easily, curious and excited about everything around them. So when the last day of the job was ending, Conrad felt a little sting of disappointment as he met Jun's eyes over Sunny's shoulder.

Instead of going for another private dinner, they were roped into going with some other models for drinks, but it turned out to be a lot of fun, everyone relaxed and allowed themselves to joke around about the last week and their photographer and his extravagant way of being. It was fun, but Conrad's eyes were drifting to Jun once every few minutes, and even though his new friend seemed to be entertained as well, Conrad kind of wished it could be just the two of them. Don't get him wrong, Conrad liked bigger parties and he liked all the people, but after a few evenings spent together, it would feel more proper to be alone.

But in the end they only managed to have some kind of privacy during the group walk to the train station, when they lagged behind a little, steps falling in the same rhythm.

"You're leaving early tomorrow?" Jun asked and Conrad glanced at him before nodding.

"Well, kinda. At nine."

Jun nodded as well, and Conrad knew that the awkward moment was coming, when they should extends goodbyes and hopes to see each other soon, and Conrad wasn't sure how to do it. It has been easier when he was a kid running around the beach with others, but now it felt somehow different, as if a real opportunity of building something genuine was about to slip away.

"If you're in Kuala Lumpur this summer, you let me know." was all Conrad could come up with, and the smile Jun sent him was bright and a tad mysterious.

"I'll hold you to that."

* * *

[Jun] hey, how r u??

[Conrad] good!! just got back and chilling with my guys. you?

[Jun] so u know that I'm finishing here in a three days and I thought

[Conrad] ???

[Jun] I thought I've never seen Petronas Towers and I found this cool connection home with a two day layover in KL

[Conrad] <333

* * *

"So, what's the plan? Because if you want some private time, we can totally let you guys be." Jiří said, gesturing at Sondre and Andrei who nodded fiercely, but Conrad shook his head, smiling.

"Guys, there's no need, honestly, he's just my friend and we'll hang out-"

"Mhh, Andrei told us about all your romantic dinner dates." Jiří grinned and Conrad gasped, looking at Andrei, who looked a bit sheepish and also very pleased with himself.

"And you know, sharing a bed is a a totally rom com trope!" Sondre pointed out, looking up from his instagram and smiling sunnily.

"Whatever." Conrad rolled his eyes before standing up "Now excuse me, I gotta go clean my room."

"Oh yes do, I can't even see the bed from under all the piles of clothes-"

* * *

"Wow." Jun sighed, staring up at the glittering building in front of them, eyes filled with sparks and awe. They had spent the whole day together- well, since Jun's arrival around noon. They went for a walk, had some great food, and finally reached the most important element of every visit to Kuala Lumpur.

Conrad was kind of used to that view right now, so he kept on glancing at Jun, wondering why he didn't have his camera out yet, after snapping so many pictures before and being so excited about visiting that place.

"You don't want some pics?" Conrad asked, squeezing Jun's fingers and wondering when exactly he has taken his hand, he truly couldn't remember.

'Maybe tomorrow." Jun chuckled, turning to look at Conrad, and he seemed perfectly aware of their joined hands "I was thinking, you know/"

"About?"

"I think I will take a year off before going to uni. To truly figure out what I want to do."

"Oh, that's nice." Conrad smiled, happy that Jun was feeling comfortable enough to talk about more personal things- and well, hold hands, apparently "So, what is the plan?"

"Well." Jun hummed "Toronto University has this really great five months photography course. A lot of trips to nature."

"Yeah?" Conrad grinned, Jun's words making him feel warm and pleased "That sounds cool. Canada's awesome."

"I think I can say so already." Jun said with a glint in his eyes and Conrad couldn't help but laugh.

That was how it should be, he thought, eyes taking in Jun's bright expression. Easy, without promises, just a hint of what if, if they both are interested. Because they're so extremely young and full of sparks that for some reason only intensify when they look into each other's eyes.

"So-" Conrad cleared his throat, his free hand coming to play with the strap of Jun's bag "This can't contain just the camera, it's so packed?"

"I'm telling you only when you tell me what's in that big bag next to your bed." Jun teased and Conrad scanned his memory to list what the heck was inside, and he blushed a little, feeling a little frivolous at the same time.

"We can totally compare notes tonight." he said and Jun smiled so brightly Conrad couldn't quite misinterpret that.

So when he leaned forward to place a kiss on Jun's lips, it was chaste and short and sweet, a little hint of maybe, a seal of the teenage spark that maybe could blossom, or maybe not. But for now, their hands fit together perfectly, and Conrad was going to focus solely on that.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
